Grim
by iamnotapenguin
Summary: Home sweet home, she thought bitterly. This dump sure hasn't changed. A wry smile twitched at her lips. Well… it was still her dump. She supposed it always would be. She surveyed the neighborhood before her as her thoughts wandered. Endsville. It's funny how much can change in a few short years.
1. Chapter 1

her bag slid from her shoulders and dropped to the ground with a thump.

_Home sweet home_, she thought bitterly,_ this dump sure hasn't changed_.

A wry smile twitched at her lips. Well... it was still _her_ dump. She supposed it would always be, surveying the neighborhood before her as her thoughts wandered.

Endsville.

It's funny how much can change in a few short years.

"Mom? Dad?" she called, venturing into the house. No answer. She rolled her eyes as she made her way into the kitchen, "I'm home!"

Something on the fridge caught her eye, a lone piece of paper against the sea of off-white. There had never been any child's drawings or family photos on their fridge. They'd never been that kind of family.

_Mandy,_

_There was a last minute opening at the resort for the weekend, so we've taken the opportunity for a second honeymoon. You understand. Welcome back! Make yourself at home._

_Mom & Dad_

Well. So much for a warm family gathering. She tossed the note into the trash and headed for her bedroom. Or rather, her _former_ bedroom. She wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't find a new workout room or office in it's place. They didn't exactly do cherished memories in this family either.

Upon opening the door she found that apparently some things _were_ still considered sacred in this house. Her room was untouched. Looking almost as if she'd stepped back in time, to before she'd left for college.

A deep sigh escaped her throat as she released a breathe she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

Home.

* * *

It had only taken her an hour to unpack her things. For being gone two years, she certainly didn't have much. She had never really been that interested in material possessions.

Surveying her room one final time, she decided to wander downstairs in search of something to eat.

No such luck. It seemed her parents had cleaned the place of any perishable items before embarking on their trip. _Perfect_. She let out a grumbling sigh as she glanced out the kitchen window. It'd still be a few hours until the sunset. Enough time to run out and get something.

Grabbing a hoodie, she headed out the door.

* * *

She found herself overwhelmed with memories as she headed into town. Faint imprints of long ago adventures running through her mind. She reached the restaurant quickly. It was just a cheap fast food joint, a place she and Billy used to hang around on the slower days. Nothing special.

She placed her order from memory, no sense messing around with a good thing, and had almost made it out the door when someone yelled her name.

"Mandy!?"

_Crud_, she thought. She wasn't really in the mood for awkward high school reunions tonight. She'd heard Mindy was back in town, having flunked out of college after her first year. Big surprise. Though she'd actually lasted a semester longer than Mandy had expected, so the girl deserved _some_ credit. Who knew what other cretins were crawling around this dump of a town. She had wanted to get in and out quickly before anyone caught wind of her return. She needed a few days to get settled before dealing with the past.

Forcing the grimace off her face she turned towards the voice.

And froze.

"Mandy! It is you!" A pair of strong arms enveloped her tightly, taking advantage of her momentary shock.

"Irwin." She mumbled, prying his arms away.

"We thought you'd be spending the summer away again!" The excited boy exclaimed.

"My internship ended." She murmured.

"Why didn't you tell us, man!?"

She sighed softly. "It was... a last minute thing."

"Oh. Well alright, man. Cool. Hey! Billy's meeting me here any minute, why don't you stick around, catch up with us? We've missed you like crazy."

She should say no. _Wanted_ to. They hadn't really talked since high school ended. She had gone off to a prestigious college, Irwin had gone on upstate, and Billy had stayed to take classes at the local community college. When she was offered an internship that first summer she had taken it without second thought. Summer quickly rolled into the next semester and the holidays came and went with her parents traveling to various places and her moving into an apartment just off her campus, before she knew it two years had snuck by.

"Fine."

Irwin's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. "Billy's gonna lose his mind, yo!"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a table in the corner. It didn't take long for Billy to show up.

"Irwin, you'll never guess what hap-" She tensed at the drop in his words. "MANDY!"

She found herself enveloped in another bear hug as the excitable boy flung himself at her from behind.

"Hey Billy." She mumbled through his choking grip.

"You're back!"

"From outer space." She deadpanned.

Billy giggled gleefully from behind her, finally relinquishing his hold. He quickly dove into the seat next to Irwin. It fell silent. Awkward.

They watched each other. _This is why I hate reunions_, Mandy thought tensely.

"So..." she started.

"Remember when we used to eat here every day!" Billy suddenly exclaimed.

She felt the tension drain away from her as Billy eliminated the uncomfortable haze that had settled over them.

"My parents told me I might as well move in since I spent more time here than I did at home." Irwin chuckled.

"I always hated this place." Mandy said. "But you _insisted_ we eat here every damn day."

"Sure did!" Billy laughed. "It's the best place in town for the cheapest price!"

"And you can definitely taste it." Mandy and Irwin spoke in unison.

Soon the table was echoing with laughter and tales of faint memories of childhoods past. Stories of grim adventures, spider people, boogie men, old Ms. Doolin's house and creepy General Skarr, and many more.

"Grim..." Billy chuckled.

"Yeah." Mandy said softly.

She hadn't thought of that old bag of bones for awhile now. As they grew older the memories of him had faded. She began to wonder if they were even real at all. Surely they couldn't be. She recalled reading a story about a boy and his imaginary best friend tiger that turned out to be nothing more than his stuffed animal. To him the tiger was a living, breathing playmate; to everyone else, a figment of a wild little boy's active imagination. Maybe that's all that Grim had ever been. A figment of two 10 year olds' diseased minds.

"I gotta get going, man." Irwin said, standing from his seat.

"Yeah, me too. Mom'll wonder what I been doin'." Billy stretched. "I'm not supposed to be out this long."

Mandy checked her watch, surprised to see they had spent close to a good three hours catching up in their dingy old restaurant. "Yeah."

"We can walk home together, Mandy!" Billy exclaimed. "It'll be just like old times!"

She couldn't fight the quick tug at the corner of her lips at the boy's excitement. Perhaps she had missed this place more than she had thought.

* * *

She spent a long time staring out her window before turning in to bed that night.

She wasn't sure what had made her come home at all this summer. Her internship had ended, true, but she still had her apartment. She hadn't particularly _missed_ Endsville. In fact, part of her _hated_ it.

She squinted into the darkness thoughtfully.

_Something_ had brought her back. Made her call her parents up a week ago and ask what their plans were for the summer, if they wouldn't mind having an extra body around the house for a few months.

Turning away from her window she caught sight of a slip of paper peeking out from her desk. She pulled it free and studied the crudely drawn image.

It was an old drawing of Billy's. Poorly misshapen representations of her and Billy stared back her, a cloaked skeletal figure between them. She smirked at the sloppy handwriting across the top.

_Best Frends 4evur_

Smirk slipping to a scowl, she tossed the sheet of paper on her desk and climbed into bed. _Best friends forever my ass_, she thought sourly as she burrowed into bed. _Nothing really lasts forever_.


	2. Chapter 2

Her eyes blinked open warily. Something had woken her. She sat in disoriented confusion for a moment before the doorbell sounded.

ding dong ding dong DING DONG

Well. She certainly hadn't missed _that_. She glanced at the clock, 9 AM, and made a mental note to kill Billy later.

"Maaaan-deeeeeee!"

Rolling out of bed with a sigh, she padded over to her window. Billy was winding up to ring the bell again.

"Hey stupid! Cut it out."

The boy looked up happily at her voice.

"Mandy! You're awake!"

She rolled her eyes, muttering under her breathe. "No shit."

"Mandy! Mandy! Irwin's coming over later, we thought maybe you'd wanna hang out again!"

She knew if she dodged him now they'd only come looking for her later. "Fine. I'll be down in a bit."

"Okay! Meet us at my house in a hour!" Billy called.

She idly watched him run from her porch back to his own house before closing her window and leaning against the wall.

This hadn't exactly been what she was expecting her summer to be like. Truthfully, she was surprised the two boys were even talking to her after she practically abandoned them the second they all graduated high school. Then again, they'd never really been the grudge-holding types.

She glanced out the window once more before heading to the bathroom. _Time to start the day_.

* * *

"Well… this is new and exciting."

Billy glanced up from where he lay sprawled on the floor. They had been playing video games for two hours. Mandy was glaring at him from the couch.

"But this is what we always do."

She rolled her eyes. Why in the world had she expected anything different? Maybe Endsville was stuck in some sort of demented time freeze… or time loop or… something. She was contemplating leaving when Billy's mom suddenly bustled into the room.

"Billy! I've been telling you for three weeks now to clean out the basement. Summer vacation has started and I won't take anymore excuses, young man!"

"Awww, gee mom, but my friends're over!"

"Well good, maybe they can help you." She glanced around the room for the first time since entering. "Mandy! I- you're… I didn't know you were home."

"Here for the summer."

"Well… it's... good to see you." She smiled politely, or as politely as she could, there had always been something… off… about Billy's mom. She always seemed to be teetering on the verge of a mental breakdown. Mandy was surprised the woman hadn't snapped and murdered her family yet. The woman shot a final glance at the boys in front of the television before bustling back out of the room. "Billy. The basement."

Grumbling softly, Billy shut off their game. "C'mon guys, if we work together we can get it done quicker and then play more games."

The boys stood up and headed for the basement door, Mandy followed them with her eyes from the couch. Why should _she_ have to help with Billy's chores? She once again contemplated going home.

"Mandy, you comin?" She thought for a moment, her gaze flicking between the boys and the front door. Sighing, she stood and followed them to the basement.

* * *

What was wrong with her? Why was she helping them? Was she actually craving their company? Why couldn't she make herself walk out the front door, it was _right there_. Instead she had followed Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum into this rank dungeon that looked like it hadn't been visited by human life since the days of their youth.

Billy suddenly popped out from a stack of moldy boxes, disrupting her thoughts.

"NEAT-O, CHECK THIS OUT!"

Irwin was at his side in an instant. "WOAH, DUDE! I HAVEN'T SEEN DINOBANOIDS SINCE WE WERE LIKE 10 YEARS OLD!"

"Billy, when was the last time anyone has been down here?" She cast a disgusted look around, not for the first time since descending the stairs.

"Oh gee… probably not for years. My mom's been telling my dad to clean it for ages but I guess he never got around to it. Boy, I don't know why I've been putting it off for so long, lookit all 'a this neat stuff we been finding!"

"Hokemonster cards!" Irwin exclaimed knocking over several boxes.

Mandy rolled her eyes and continued to scan the basement with disgust. There certainly were a lot of old things down here. Her gaze landed on a discarded old clown head and a faint smirk touched her lips. There really was a lot of crap from their childhood down here.

All the more reason to leave.

She was heading for the stairs when Billy's voice rang out. "Hey… what's this?"

She had no intention of turning to see what the sap had found now, hadn't even slowed her pace before she heard the crash.

"Oops."

the only reason she stopped walking was the sudden… change. Something had shifted in the room. She didn't pause so much as _freeze_.

"_Woah_." Irwin whispered.

Turning slowly Mandy caught sight of what exactly had caused them all to pause. A thick black smoke was curling up from the floor. Shards from what looked like a broken vase twinkled faintly through the mist. A strange hissing sound buzzed through the basement. The walls seemed to hum with life.

Billy stood transfixed as the smoke rose to eye level. They all did. A sudden booming roar erupted from the smoke as it exploded in every direction. A wave of force hit them and they were all knocked to their backs. The smoke seemed to grow claws that stretched towards the sky, and Mandy managed to sit up enough just in time to see a mouth and face burst through the top of the plume, laughter ripping from it's dark lips.

_FREEEEEDOM AT LASSSSSSSSST!_

With a final burst of energy that sent them to the floor again, the smoke creature shot upwards, disappearing through the ceiling with a deafening boom.

They stared at the ceiling, a dull aftershock settling over them.

Mandy was the first to speak.

"What. Have you. Done."


	3. Chapter 3

"This is bad. Is this bad? This is bad." Irwin hadn't stopped mumbling since they climbed out of the basement thirty minutes ago. He was currently pacing Billy's living room, nervously ringing his hands.

Mandy stood staring out the front window. Billy sat curled around himself on the couch, close to tears.

"We need help." Her voice was strong when she spoke. Hard. Both boys paused their worrying to give her their attention. This was the Mandy from the days of old. The Mandy who had tricked Death and brought monsters to their knees with a single glare, "whatever was in that vase… it wasn't good. It wasn't of this world. We need to exterminate it. We need help."

"Who?" Irwin asked meekly.

"I've got someone in mind… an old… friend." Mandy turned. "I'm going home. I'll be back later. I need to take care of a few things before we start dealing with this."

"What should we do!?" Irwin was panicking. That was never good. Soon Billy would be just as hysterical. And there's no fixing him when that happens.

"Calm down. Play video games. STAY. OUT. OF TROUBLE."

With that she slammed the door.

* * *

"Well... it's been awhile since I've heard from _you_."

"It's been awhile since I've needed your services."

The voice on the other end of the line chuckled. "Was beginning to think you finally got into more trouble than you could deal with."

"I gave up that sort of trouble a long time ago."

"Really now? And what kinda trouble makes yah call _me_ for?"

"An accident. We need your help."

She could practically feel his grin through the phone. "I'll be right over."

She hung up the phone and sighed. _Dammit Billy_. She hadn't been lying when she said she gave up this sort of trouble. Grim adventures were fun for kids but now she had to focus on her _real_ goals. If she wanted a position of power she'd have to work for it. _Earn it_.

She'd learned awhile ago that the way of the world isn't strong arming and sour looks, but sly tactics and charm. If she ever wanted to achieve her dreams she'd have to learn to do it by _the world's_ rules. At least until she made it to a position in which she could change them to her own. An idiot boy and backwards town would do nothing for her new plan of action, and so she'd dumped them as quickly and logically as she could. But in a moment of weakness she'd come back. A single solitary moment of weakness.

She'd been lonely. Not lonely, but… lonely. It had confused her. And in her moment of confusion she'd followed her longing back to the place she vowed to never return to. And look at the mess she's gotten into now. She was livid.

_Whatever was in that vase…_

She didn't want to think about it. There was still work to be done before heading back to Billy's.

She tried not to think about how easy it had been to slip back into old habits.

* * *

The doorbell rang at six o'clock.

"Answer that." She snapped at Irwin.

Still jittery, he scrambled clumsily for the door, fumbling with the knob for a moment. When he finally pulled it open he froze.

"Well. If it isn't the little monster boy."

Mandy stood from the couch, "Lower your weapons, Hoss. He isn't the problem."

The man in the doorway turned to face her. "It's not that old sack of bones is it?"

"No. He's… gone."

"What d'yah mean 'gone'?"

"It's not important." She snapped. "I called you here for a reason, now come on."

* * *

"Hmm…"

She stood impatiently over him as he studied the broken shards scattered over the basement floor.

"It's definitely something evil. More evil than I've ever come across." He picked up a shard, studied it thoughtfully. "Where did this come from anyway?"

"Billy found it hidden amongst the rest of this junk."

"You don't say." He looked around the room then stood, brushing his hands against his pants. "Whatever it was it's gone now. I'll take a few shards back for Eris. She might know something about what it might be."

"You think it's of her world?"

Hoss turned to meet her hard gaze. "'Tell the truth, kid, I have no idea what it is we're dealing with here."

She sighed, dropping her gaze. "Great. Fucking Billy."

"You kids certainly do have a knack for finding trouble." Hoss muttered, smirking.

"How long before you can get back to me with any new information?"

"Depends on whether or not Eris knows anything. If she does, I should be back tomorrow."

"And if she doesn't?"

"I'll have to seek out other contacts who might know what exactly it is we're dealing with here. Who knows how long that might take."

They stood in silence a moment, studying the basement, chewing over the predicament.

"_Well_?" Mandy suddenly demanded.

"Well what?"

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Alright, alright, I'm going. Pushy little thing, aren't yah."

"Hoss." She called as he headed for the stairs. He turned, raising an eyebrow in silent question. "I expect to hear from you tomorrow. Whether Eris knows anything or not."

With a solitary nod, he continued his journey up the steps.

Mandy turned back to gaze around the basement one last time.

"_Fucking Billy_."

* * *

Something wasn't right.

She came into consciousness. It was late, and…

Someone was in her room.

She controlled her breathing. Whoever it was would have no way of possibly knowing she had awakened. She had trained herself for this. She was in complete control of her body. You never know when you might need to play dead when striving for the goals she had been reaching for.

"I know you're awake." That voice. If she weren't in complete control of her reactions she would have cringed. "Yah can't fool _me_, child."

She opened her eyes, narrowed her gaze at the figure lurking at the end of her bed.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"You've gotten yourselves into a mess of trouble."

"I'm handling it."

"Hoss Delgado?"

"It's what he does."

"Poorly."

"What are you _doing_ here?" She was growing impatient, and try as she might to disguise it, she knew it showed in her voice.

"I told yah, you've gotten yourselves into a mess of trouble. Meddling in things yah shouldn't be meddling in. Touching things that aren't yours to touch."

"Cleaning out the old junk in Billy's basement is hardly something that requires _your_ attention."

"It does when you're breaking _my_ things."

"Maybe you should keep better care of where you leave your things." She pulled herself out of her bed, intent on heading to the bathroom. She might as well now that she's awake.

The door slammed closed with bang, a rush of wind washing over her.

"_Grim_."

"No Mandy. We need to talk."


	4. Chapter 4

"Where are your parents?"

Her eyes flicked towards him before returning to her tea, her fingers idly twirling the spoon that stuck out from the top of her mug.

"Second honeymoon. Or third. Or fourth. I don't know. I've lost count."

"Yah just got in." Her gaze moved to him once again, this time it held. "Your bag, upstairs, it's out. And you've got a freshly washed pile of laundry over there. A full wardrobe by the looks of it… or at least, a full wardrobe by _your_ standards."

Her eyes returned to her mug. "Did you come here for idle chit-chat?"

He studied her quietly. "Do you have any idea what was in that vase yah broke?"

"_Billy_ broke."

"I'll take that as a no."

"_Why don't you tell me_." Her words were clipped.

She was losing patience again. Only _he_ could do this to her. Make her lose her temper like this. Billy used to be able to before she came to accept that his stupidity truly knows no bounds. She was able to let most of her anger at the boy go fairly quickly after that. Now it only took something really big to make her lose her temper with Billy. Something like breaking an old relic of darkness and releasing a new form of evil into the world.

"The being that was in that jar is not of this world."

"I gathered that much on my own."

He narrowed his gaze at her. Not that she was paying attention. Her own gaze was once again fixed on that blasted cup of tea. Tea she wasn't even drinking. Just stirring and stirring and staring at. He felt himself grind his teeth for a moment. Caught himself. He wouldn't let her do this to him again. He'd finally gotten his reputation back on track. People were fearing him again. He wouldn't let this little brat of a girl turn him into a petulant child. Not again.

"Perhaps if you think you're so well off on yah own, then I'll just let yah wait to hear what Hoss has to say about it."

A snicker. She actually snickered. Something akin to shock washed over him for a moment. That was new. In all the time he'd known this dour girl she'd never once showed that she was capable of feeling _any_ sort of… happiness. Mockingly or not.

"It must not be too bad then if you're willing to leave it to Hoss."

She stood from the table, poured her now cool tea into the sink. He could only watch her. Well now. Perhaps he'd underestimated her. He'd expected to come back to find the same cold unfeeling little brat that had dismissed him all those years ago, this smirking, fluid, _collected_ creature was something completely new._ Interesting_.

* * *

"You look… older."

They were back in her room. She had brought the laundry up and was in the process of changing out of her pajamas. No use pretending she'd be getting anymore sleep anytime soon.

She studied him from the corner of her eye. "Well, in all fairness it _has_ been 10 years."

His eyes narrowed at her curt tone. There was an air of nonchalance about it that he didn't care for. She was winding up. Getting ready to deliver a fatal blow. He could feel it.

"10 years. I know it must pass in the blink of an eye to _you_, but to us mortals, it's a lot of time." Her next words were spoken softly, but not without bite, as she finished zipping up her hoodie, and stepped into his space. "I'm not a little girl anymore."

"I noticed." They stared at each for a moment. Neither willing to be the first to break contact. Neither willing to be the _weakest_. "Counting yourself among the mere mortals now, eh?"

Her eyes narrowed as she studied his features before turning back towards the pile of clothes. "I've come to realize I'm only too human. … But it's nothing I can't _fix_ with time."

He watched as she sauntered across the room. Yes, he'd certainly underestimated her. But then again, was he surprised? He should have been expecting this. Mandy had always been a clever girl. Of course she'd realize the easiest way to gain the power she so desired was to play the game, follow the rules, blend in. This girl was going places. He felt an odd sense of pride. So many people with her ambition let the world crush them by the time they reached high school. Mandy only seemed to be getting better at it. Could he expect any less from the girl who had cheated Death though?


	5. Chapter 5

"Get out, Grim."

"Where r'yah going?"

"For a run."

"At _this_ hour?"

"Well I'm not falling back asleep at this point."

She had lost track of how long she'd been running by the time the first pinks and purples were lightly touching the otherwise dark sky. She had done several laps around her neighborhood before hopping the fence and running the track at her old school. She didn't have to be as alert here. A better place to lose herself in her thoughts. She was walking a cool down as the sky started changing.

So. Grim's back. Why in the world had she decided to come home. She didn't need _any_ of this, she turned her back on this life years ago, and when Mandy turns her back on something she _doesn't_ change her mind. Except… she _had_.

She had told Grim she was no longer a child, a feeble attempt at keeping him at arms distance, maybe further. She didn't have time for fairy tales and grim adventures. Of course, he'd seen what she was trying to do and thrown it right back in her face with an all-to-different meaning.

It was almost full daylight by the time she returned home.

sliding her key into the lock, she pushed the front door open with a stretch. She had pulled the hoodie off about midway into the run and was in the process of peeling the sticky tank top over her head when someone cleared their throat from the couch.

"I thought I told you to beat it. What are you still doing here?"

"Right now? Enjoying the show." He teased.

She threw the sweaty shirt at his head, satisfied when it made contact with his face with a smack.

"You're really wearing on my nerves, Grim." She headed for the stairs, "If you're going to stick around and bother me all day, at least make yourself useful and fix me breakfast. I'm going to take a shower."

He couldn't help the smirk that worked it's way to his face. Some things may have changed about her, but some were certainly the same as ever.

_I'm doing this because I **want** to_, he thought as he headed for the kitchen.

* * *

She came downstairs an hour later, hair still damp from her shower, and dropped into the seat he'd made her at the table.

"Still haven't left yet." The controlled nonchalance had returned, a thinly masked annoyance.

He took a sip of coffee as she slipped into the seat across from him, "figured I might as well stick around. Saves me a trip when Hoss reports that he's found nothing."

He studied her as she ignored his comment, in control enough to not take the bait, and started in on her breakfast in silence. He'd done some thinking of his own while she was out, and was determined to learn the new limits of her irritation, see just how far he could push this new advanced model before she broke and fell back into the Mandy he _knew_. She was playing the same game to an extent, they had been baiting and teasing each other since the moment he appeared. It was all a matter of who broke first. Which of them would abandon the carefully constructed new personas and tumble back into the abyss of their true selves the quickest?

He used to like games, before he met Billy and Mandy. The little terrors had made him hate them. Though he was finding that maybe these battles of wit, this secret warfare that has always been an underlying force in his relationship with the girl, was something he'd truly missed. No one matched wits with him like Mandy did. It was both exciting and irritating. Upon his release from the contract and his return to the Underworld he found he rarely had to prove himself to anyone anymore. Few beings were able to stand up to his power or intellect and life was suddenly a lot less interesting than he remembered it being before he met the brats.

"I know you missed me, Grim, but the staring is getting a little old." _Shit_. He hadn't meant to lose track of his wandering mind. Now he'd given her an upper hand.

"Please, child. Missed you like a bad rash." He moodily took a sip of his coffee and shifted his gaze to stare out the kitchen window, but not before catching the shadow of a smirk gracing her lips._ Interesting_. Still. He wondered how long it would take him to get used to this new creature._ Not long_, he quickly reminded himself, _because it wan't going to take him long to break it and replace it with the old familiar Mandy_.

"Yeah. I could say the same to you, Bonehead." His eyes flicked back to her as she rose from the table to deposit her dishes in the sink.

_Bonehead_. He hadn't been called _that_ in a long time. Such a tether to their past in that name, there was certainly a play behind it. She wouldn't just throw such a significant name out willy-nilly, and she's too controlled for it to have been an accidental slip. He'd been taking the overly friendly approach to their game, putting her on the defense, she'd been shutting down, locking him out. He knew she wanted to forget the past, and was intent on using her determination at creating a new life against her. Now it seemed she was going to prove that she could _also_ play the buddy card, pretend their past never happened, the power struggle was never there. Just two old friends catching up and shooting the shit. _Great_. Perhaps this _was_ going to be harder than he thought. He'd once again misjudged her.

He watched her from the corner of his eye as she slipped from the kitchen into the next room, and he wondered how long it would be before Hoss called. He was suddenly unsure of how long he could go matching wits like this, in an enclosed space, with nothing to buffer their attentions. She was still surprising him, he needed a chance to gain the upper hand or he was going to lose the game.

* * *

Hoss called several hours later, proving to be just as useless as Grim had always remembered him to be. He'd somehow managed to hold his own against the girl as the day dragged on, though a good portion of the day was spent ignoring one another's presence. She'd done some chores, muddled in some school work, read a novel, as_ he'd_ done the odd chore here and there (because he _wanted_ to, it was easier to keep himself busy than let the idle mind wander, he _certainly_ wasn't falling into any old habits or anything...) puttered around the house, and dealt with a few _not so hands-on_ matters of work. By the time Hoss called they were almost comfortable in each other's returned existence in their lives, and yet at the same time their nerves were wearing thin. Such was the strange phenomenon when the both of them were concerned.

After a short and clipped conversation Mandy hung up the phone with a sigh. "Alright. You're up, Bonehead. What've you got?"

He smirked, "did the great Hoss Delgado fail?" She merely studied him quietly and he found himself slightly annoyed, "The creature you- _Billy_... released... is similar to a genie. A creature of true and deepest darkness. Long ago a man of great purity and light sealed it away in that vase, but before it was imprisoned it vowed to rise once more when light and darkness met. It's release has been prophesied for many ages. I shoulda known it'd be _you two_ to set the whole thing in motion."

He expected her to bristle at the remark, and was slightly suspicious when that new and unfamiliar smirk crossed her lips instead.

She turned, heading for the stairs as a chuckled escaped her, "yeah. Hoss told me the same thing."

He was on his feet before he realized what he was doing, "What? You're lying. Why would you ask me to tell you what I know then?"

"It's always good to check your sources, Grim. I'm not the type to just take someone's word for it, you know that."

He watched angrily as climbed the stairs, "where're you going?"

She stopped halfway up, turning to face him, "to pack. Hoss told me how to find the thing."

He suddenly remembered why exactly he had started hate games.


End file.
